Gesammelte Werke in drei Bänden (3/3)

In this third volume of a three‑part collected works, listeners receive a meticulously restored version of early‑20th‑century German prose. The editor has preserved the original typographic quirks, Fraktur headings and even the occasional elided word, allowing the voice of the period to shine through while smoothing obvious printing errors. As the introductory notes explain, the layout mirrors the 1913 edition, so the experience feels like stepping into a historic study room.

The centerpiece is a novella titled “Die Rute,” a sharply observed slice of domestic life that spirals from a sweltering July afternoon into a tense confrontation between a father, his daughter and the expectations of motherhood. Through vivid, sometimes unsettling detail, the narrative probes the thin line between discipline and affection, hinting at broader questions of authority, gender and self‑knowledge. The collection also offers several shorter stories that explore love, loss and the restless search for identity, all rendered in Dehmel’s characteristic lyrical intensity.